The invention concerns a toilet device, in particular for bedridden persons, as set forth in the classifying portion of claim 1.
Urination and bowel movements represent major problems not just for bedridden persons but also for the carer staff for reasons of the intimacy of the relationship, hygiene and the work involved. There has therefore been no lack of attempts to provide devices which simplify urination and bowel movements on the part of bedridden persons and resolve the above-indicated problems.
A toilet device of the general kind set forth is known from DE 296 12 166 U1. A toilet device as described in that publication has a lower shell which is adapted to the human anatomy with openings for the waist and the thighs and on its underside has a recess of a volume sufficient to accommodate the excretions. The lower shell is completely open upwardly and extends around a person lying thereon in a line which extends from the waist at both sides of the buttocks under the lower legs and between the lower legs upwardly where the lower shell has a projection projecting upwardly between the thighs. There is no contact with the person in the upper region of the projection. For the purposes of hermetically sealing off the interior of the lower shell, the arrangement has an upper shell which is fitted onto the lower shell in such a way that the thighs of the person and the trunk in the region of the waist extend through the corresponding three, out of the container formed by the upper shell and the lower shell. Provided on the projection on the lower shell are connections for a washing water conduit, a warm air conduit and a feces suction removal conduit so that the anal and genital region of the person can be cleaned and dried, the content of the lower shell can be sucked away and the lower shell can be cleaned.
A particularity of the described toilet device is that satisfactory sealing of the interior thereof, which receives the feces, is only possible with difficulty in relation to different people, as the periphery of the body in the region of the waist and the periphery of the thighs is very different from one person to another. That results in unpleasant odors in the ambient atmosphere. In addition the toilet device is uncomfortable as the person is supported only in the region of the hips and at the thighs.
The Patent Abstracts of Japan in respect of Japanese patent application No 7104551 (publication No 08257073A) discloses a device in which a kind of diaper is fitted to a lying person, the diaper being provided with a connection for sucking away the excretions and a connection for feeding cleaning water and warm air. The operation of fitting the diaper represents a complicated and expensive procedure.
EP 0 494 488 A1 discloses a toilet having a pan or tub, on the edge of which can be arranged a replaceable seat component on which a person sits or lies, depending on the shape of the tub. Excrements can be sucked away from the tub. The tub is further provided with nozzles for washing water and for the feed of drying warm air.
EP 0 689 790 A1 discloses a portable seat toilet which is provided with replaceable seat covers and a bag for receiving the excrement.
The object of the invention is to provide a toilet device, in particular for bedridden persons, which particularly satisfies the demands which occur in a practical context.
That object is attained by a toilet device in accordance with the main claim.
In accordance with the invention the lower shell is so designed that it comfortably supports in sealing relationship a person thereon, who can be lying or sitting. In that respect the sealing effect or the contact of the lower shell against the person takes place along the insides of the buttocks so that the sealing effect extends directly to the crotch region of the trunk at the insides or between the thighs from where it is closed by means of the upper shell directly over the pubic region. The body regions which are intended to come into contact between a person and the lower and upper shell respectively are of similar dimensions in regard to corpulent and slender persons, irrespective of their sex, so that this device affords comfortable support and satisfactorily sealing contact. The lower shell and in particular the upper shell can be comparatively small. The entire range of demand can be covered with two or three sizes (children, adolescents, adults).
The features of claim 2 provide for good adaptability of the toilet device to individual persons.
Claim 3 characterizes an advantage embodiment of the lower shell with which satisfactory positioning of a person can be checked in a simple manner.
The features of claim 4 provide for a certain spreading of the buttocks, whereby cleaning after a bowel movement is made easier.
Claims 5 and 6 characterize advantageous embodiments of the toilet device for cleaning and drying of the person using it, wherein the air evacuation conduit affords the advantage that air is continuously sucked somewhat out of the toilet device. That ensures that no odors occur in the ambient atmosphere.
The features of claim 7 afford the advantage that the feces together with the washing water can be disposed of in an extremely simple fashion, in which respect the foil can additionally be such that it covers all regions with which the person comes into contact, so that practically no cleaning of the toilet device is required between two uses thereof.
Claim 8 characterizes a configuration of the foil which is particularly handling-friendly.
The features of claim 9 afford a simple possible way of ambient air being sucked into the space between the lower shell and the upper shell, even when the space is completely sealingly closed off the person. In addition, with a suitable design configuration in respect of the air feed valve, the reduced pressure in the interior between the lower shell and the upper shell can be adjusted in order for example to ensure that the foil or the receiving bag does not collapse in or that an excessively reduced pressure which is unpleasant to the person does not occur due to the air suction removal effect.
In accordance with claim 10 there is provided a supply unit in which all devices for the toilet device are assembled.